World Netball Series secures sponsorship deal with Co-operative Group

The Co-operative Group has announced it will sponsor this year's World Netball
Series in Manchester as the sport continues its push for inclusion in the
Olympic Games.

Winning team: England Netball already has the backing of the Co-operative Group

By Emily Benammar

5:02PM BST 24 Apr 2009

The world's top six nations - England, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Samoa and Malawi - have been invited to take part in the world series in October.

Already the official sponsors of the UK’s Netball Superleague, the Co-operative's involvement comes as the series organisers announced a host of radical rule changes.

The shake-up will see double points awarded for shooting outside the circle, the introduction of rolling substitutions as well as "Power Play" quarters which present an opportunity for teams to double their score.

Organisers hope the high-profile event will also help propel netball towards inclusion at the 2016 Olympics.

Liz Matkin, Sponsorship Manager at The Co-operative, said: "We are delighted to be involved with the World Netball series, especially in our home town of Manchester.

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"The Co-operative has been heavily involved in netball via the Co-operative Netball Superleague and Back the Bid, and so this sponsorship is complementary to our existing portfolio.

“The Co-operative is committed to the development of the game, and we’re very excited about the rule changes that have been brought in this year - it will definitely make for fierce competition as ever.”

More than half-a-million members of the public have backed netball's Olympic campaign, which has also won the support of the Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, and Dame Kelly Holmes and Denise Lewis, the former Olympic champions.

Olympic Minister Tessa Jowell, also in netball's corner, has called for an end to “gender discrepancies” at the Games and urged the Olympic authorities to provide more medal opportunities for women. Currently men can compete in 164 events, whilst women can compete in just 124.